Between Friends
by celtic-flicka
Summary: An important case brings an old friend back into Veronica's life…
1. Chapter 1

_Clomp, clomp, clomp_. Her favorite black boots made a funny sound on the shiny tile floors as Veronica walked down the hall of the San Diego criminal court building. She loved the days that she didn't have to meet with judges, witnesses, or anyone else important and could wear clothes that she felt comfortable in.

Today, comfort was especially important, because she had an enormous pile of work waiting for her. A colleague had to leave town suddenly due to a family emergency, so Veronica was taking over a case that was due to go to trial in just two weeks. The district attorney wanted to avoid a continuance, because the accused was wealthy and he didn't want his expensive lawyers to have more time to build their case for the public.

When Veronica had tried to beg off, her boss brought out the big guns: "It's a child abuse case, Mars," he'd said. "This guy's been smacking his kid around for years, but he thinks his money is going to get him off. If anyone is going to be able to nail this bastard's nuts to the wall, it's you."

Just about everyone she'd encountered in her legal career was aware of her role in the Aaron Echolls case. She hadn't decided yet whether it was a help or a hindrance—for every person who tried to kiss her ass to learn more about the sordid details, there was another who was out to show her that she wasn't as smart as she thought she was. It probably all evened out. And Veronica Mars knew she was exactly as smart as she thought she was.

When she arrived at her office, Donna was already there, organizing the case files. Donna was Veronica's favorite paralegal—when she agreed to take the case, she made her boss promise that Donna would work exclusively for her until the case was closed. Donna was in her 50s and had been an invaluable resource when Veronica had first started working as an assistant district attorney. She showed her around the office, gave her the scoop on each person she'd be working with, and helped her polish up her people skills—which, Veronica had to admit, still needed some work.

"You may be the smartest person in the room, but you don't have to shove that fact in people's faces," Donna had said. "And sometimes, experience trumps smarts."

Most importantly, when things got tough, Donna had a soothing, motherly way about her that Veronica secretly loved. Whether it was a particularly tough case or trouble in her personal life, Donna always provided a shoulder to lean—or cry—upon.

"You ready for this?" Veronica said cheerily as she stepped into the office.

"Don't worry about me," Donna responded. "I'm just wondering if _you're_ ready for this."

"I've handled cases like this before," she said. "It's short notice, but I can—"

Before she could finish her sentence, Donna shoved a piece of paper in front of her face.

"It's the witness list," Veronica said, mildly exasperated. "I have seen one of these before. "

"Just read it, smarty-pants."

Veronica scanned the list: The child, Andrew; his mother; a few of his teachers and friends; and…

She looked up at Donna in disbelief. " _Logan Echolls_ is testifying?"

"Mm-hmm," Donna confirmed. "When Andrew went to the Marian-Lynn home, your ex-honey was the one who was working there that night. He saw the injuries first hand and took Andrew to the hospital."

"Logan works at a Marian-Lynn home…" Veronica thought aloud. It made sense—the Marian-Lynn homes were for children or spouses who needed to escape abusive situations. She felt a little twinge of pride in him.

"Sort of," Donna said, handing her another page from the file. "Turns out he _runs_ the Marian-Lynn Foundation to Prevent Domestic Violence, with his sister. They used their father's money to start it—that's a pretty good 'fuck you' to the old man, huh?"

"Yeah, it is," Veronica said with a knowing smile. That was probably just what Logan had thought.

"According to the information there, Logan visits each of different homes for a few days here and there, and he happened to be at the one in San Diego on the night Andrew showed up."

"Wow," Veronica said under her breath.

"Sounds like your high-school sweetheart has done pretty well for himself," Donna said, trying to sound lighthearted, although Veronica had told her more about her history with Logan than she'd told anyone else. Donna knew he wasn't just any ex-boyfriend.

"Sounds like it," Veronica murmured. She took a deep breath and pulled herself together. "So I guess I get to have a little reunion with my ex! That should be _fun_."

"Actually, it might be," Donna shrugged. "Now that you're both grown up, maybe some of that craziness has faded away and it will just be nice to see each other and catch up. But let's worry about your boy toy later. We've got a lot of work to do today."

The "craziness," as Donna had called it, sometimes did make her relationship with Logan difficult, but sometimes that craziness was wonderful. Veronica spent the next few days embroiled in her work, but every quiet moment found her reminiscing about Logan, and rehashing what had gone wrong the last time.

* * *

 _Watching him beat up Gorya Sorokin to defend her…well, that was hot. She hated to admit it, but it was true. In that moment, when he was standing over his opponent, throwing off Sorokin's threat with a smartass remark, she felt her breathing speed up, heard her heartbeat echoing in her ears. Their eyes locked, and he smiled—that cocky smile that she loved and hated—and when he turned and walked away, everything in her wanted to go after him. She almost did, until she saw Piz watching her sadly. He knew. Before Sorokin and his buddies could regroup, she took Piz by the arm and led him outside._

 _"Piz, you're a really great guy," she began._

 _"Don't say it, Veronica," he spat. "Don't insult me by giving me the 'it's not you, it's me' speech."_

 _"But it's true," she said. "You're just, like, almost too good to be real, so I'm probably insane for doing this, but—I don't think Logan and I are finished. I don't know if we ever will be, and I can't string you along."_

 _"I should have seen this coming," Piz said. "I don't know what I was thinking." He started to walk away._

 _"Piz, wait!" she said quickly. He stopped and turned around. "I…I'm sorry."_

 _"Yeah, whatever," he said as he left._

 _Veronica watched him for a moment, then realized she still had time to catch up to Logan. She turned and ran to the parking lot to see if his car was still there in his usual spot, but it was already gone. Her Saturn was just across from the empty spot—a hard habit to break—so she climbed in and headed for the Neptune Grande._

 _When she pulled into the hotel parking lot, she saw his black Range Rover near the entrance and wasn't sure what she felt. Relief? Excitement? Dread? All she knew was that she had to see him. She walked as quickly as she could through the lobby and pressed the button to call the elevator, trying to make it arrive faster through sheer force of her will._

 _"Looking for someone?"_

 _Logan was leaning back in one of the plush chairs near the elevator, legs crossed casually. He gave her that cocky smile again._

 _"I was looking…I needed to see…" She wasn't sure what to say._

 _"Let's go upstairs." As he rose from his chair, the elevator doors opened. He grabbed her hand and pulled her inside._

 _He pressed the number 12, and stood at her side, facing forward, still holding her hand. But the instant the doors closed, Logan turned and pressed his mouth to hers, pushing her back against the wall of the elevator. She threw her arms around him, grasping frantically at his hair and wrapping one leg around his, trying to press her body more tightly against his._

 _He hooked one hand under her knee and pulled her close, grinding his erection against her center. His lips moved down her neck until he found that spot just above her shoulder that made her shiver._

 _"Oh God," she rasped as she ran her hands up inside his untucked shirt. "This elevator is too slow." She slid her hands back down his sides and began to unbuckle his belt._

 _Before she could get to his fly, the elevator doors opened to his floor. They stumbled out, turning around again and again as they tried to walk without taking their mouths off each other. When they got to the door, she shoved her hands in his back pockets._

 _"Miss Mars! So forward," Logan said, pretending to be scandalized as he nibbled her ear. "I knew you were trying to get into my pants."_

 _Without a word, she pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and extracted his key card._

 _"Oh, shut it," she said, reaching around him to swipe the card through the lock. She felt his smile as he lightly bit her neck just before she pushed him backward through the door._

 _They kissed passionately as they moved toward his bedroom, shedding clothes and bumping into furniture as they went. Logan pushed her jacket down off her shoulders and let it drop to the floor. She fumbled with the buttons on his shirt, opening them as quickly as she could to get to the warm, bare skin underneath. The shirt fell to the floor and she ran her hands over his back and shoulders, fighting the urge to push him down and fuck him right there on the hotel room floor, since she didn't want to be interrupted by his roommate._

 _He backed her into his room until she was sitting on his bed. As he turned to close the doors, she sat down and fumbled with the laces on her shoes. Why had she chosen today to wear Chucks? Logan used the time to kick off his own shoes and socks, along with his pants and boxers. That done, he began undressing her slowly, running his lips across each expanse of skin as it was revealed. She lay back on the bed so he could pull off her jeans and panties, and after he did so, he kneeled at the foot of the bed and pushed her thighs apart._

 _His soft, wet kisses up the insides of her legs were maddening. "Oh, God, Logan—please…" she pleaded. He gave her one long, slow lick up through her folds._

 _"Is this what you want?" he whispered._

 _"Oh yes, oh God, yes. More…"_

 _He slowly licked her again, this time stopping to swirl his tongue around her clit. She writhed underneath him, lifting her hips toward his mouth. "Faster…harder…please…" she breathed._

 _Logan did as he was told, and it didn't take long before Veronica felt that beautiful, torturous pressure building between her legs. "Yes, oh fuck, yes," she gasped as she ascended to her orgasm. "Oh my God, Logan! Oh!"_

 _Seconds after she came down—before she could even catch her breath again—she sat up quickly and reached for him, pulling him roughly on top of her as she moved further onto the bed. "I have to have you inside me. NOW." She reached for a condom from his nightstand drawer, deftly opening it and rolling it onto his hard cock as he groaned in pleasure._

 _"Now, Logan," she moaned._

 _He plunged into her with one deep thrust, making her cryhis name again. Silencing her with a deep kiss, he began moving in and out, first slowly and gently and then with more force. She dug her nails into his biceps and wrapped her legs tightly around his waist, pushing back against him as she came again, crying out for him with her lips against his._

 _"Oh, God, Veronica, I love you so much," he moaned as he approached his release. With a few hard thrusts that felt delicious against her core as she was coming down from her own orgasm, he came apart in her arms._

 _She held him for a few minutes until his breathing returned to normal, and then she gently nudged him off of her—she loved to feel his weight on her during sex, but afterward, their size difference meant he was just too damn heavy. She rolled onto her side and curled up against him._

 _"So…" she said, raising her eyes up to see his face. "You waited for me in the lobby?"_

 _"I knew you'd come."_

 _"Twice!" she giggled, holding up two fingers._

 _Logan smiled a little. "Well, yeah…but you know what I mean. It's always about you and me, Veronica." He ran his fingers softly down her bare arm. "Whatever happens, we're always being drawn back together. So I knew you'd be right behind me." She tilted her face up to him for a gentle kiss._

 _"Plus, I saw that 'fuck me' look you gave me just after the fight," he added, waggling his eyebrow._

 _"Please!" she asked. "If anyone gave anyone a 'fuck me' look, it was you giving it to me, sweetheart."_

 _"Let's call it a tie," Logan laughed. "But this is what I mean—you and I have something that's never going away. So whatever you want this to be, whether it's just for tonight or for longer than that, it's OK. If it's just a one-night thing, I won't like it, but I'll take it—for now, because I know we'll be back. I love you and that's not going to change."_

 _Veronica felt her eyes well and she pressed closer to him. "I don't want this to be just for tonight—I'm just not happy without you." She sat up and looked into his eyes. "I want us to try again." Logan slipped his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her down to him for a kiss._

 _And they were happy again, for a few weeks, anyway. But they quickly fell back into their same old patterns of mistrust and insecurity. The sex was always fantastic, but the harsh light of day was full of bickering, recriminations, and dredging up of old wounds. Veronica and Logan broke up—again—before the school year ended._

* * *

 _Click, click, click_. Veronica had been interviewing witnesses for the last three days, and was getting sick of wearing heels. She walked into her office and dropped her bag on her desk, while muttering something about professional women, medieval torture devices, and the future of feminism in America. As she continued with a string of curses, Donna appeared in the doorway and looked her up and down.

"You look nice," she said appraisingly. "I guess today's the day you're meeting with your ex."

"Oh, stop," Veronica huffed. "I have to dress up when I'm meeting witnesses."

"New suit, new lip gloss, the nails are done, the roots are done," Donna said, pointing at all the beautifications Veronica had performed over the weekend. "That's not for any witness."

Veronica sighed. "OK, fine—I want to look hot when I see my old boyfriend. So sue me."

Donna laughed. "I get it. Everyone wants to look good when they see an old flame. Even if they're not looking to rekindle that flame…" She rolled her eyes a little.

"I told you, I am not rekindling!" Veronica protested. "I wouldn't mind if he pined after me a little though."

"Pining's good. But what if he's still hot too?" Donna winked. "I'll take the files to the conference room and get you set up while you think on that."

Veronica already knew Logan still looked _gooood_. Over the years, she had made a conscious effort not to look him up, but since she found out that she would be seeing him in person, she couldn't help herself. He'd been keeping a pretty low profile, but she'd found some photos of him with Trina at a recent charity event for the foundation. (Veronica was more than a little pleased that Logan's sister was his date.) He was still keeping his hair longer, just as she always liked it, although it was a little less mussed-up—otherwise, he still looked nearly the same. Older, yes, but without the world-weariness that had begun to take over his features the last time she saw him, he had a boyish quality that made him look younger than his 29 years.

With one last touch-up to her lip gloss, Veronica scooped up her laptop and went to the conference room to wait for Logan Echolls.

* * *

Veronica showed up early for the meeting, and as usual, tried to use the time to get some work done. Because of the witness she was awaiting, however, she couldn't keep her mind on her job.

 _By the time Veronica left for her internship at the FBI, they were on speaking terms again, and had promised to stay in touch._

 _Logan had made the first move, calling her after her first week to see how things were going. It hadn't been easy, and she was surprised to realize how comforting it was to talk to him._

 _They continued to call each other about once a week. Logan kept her up to speed on the goings-on in Neptune, and told her about his sister's sudden attempts to reestablish a relationship with him. Veronica talked about what she was learning at the FBI, while assisting agents with cases and attending the special seminars offered to interns. The conversations usually weren't very deep, but Veronica found herself really looking forward to them. She hoped it meant that things might be different between them when she came home._

 _Three weeks before the end of the program, she was especially excited to talk to Logan, because that week's seminar had been more enlightening than usual._

 _"It was about the psychology of the victims," she told him, "including, ah…victims of sexual assault and domestic violence, and families of substance abusers."_

 _"I'd think you'd be able to teach that one yourself."_

 _"Actually, I learned a lot…about myself…about you…about us…" she said cautiously. "It turns out that we're remarkably well adjusted, given the childhoods we had."_

 _Logan laughed—a real, all-out laugh, and she realized she hadn't heard that in a long time. "I can honestly say that's the first time anyone has ever called me 'well adjusted.'"_

 _"Let's just say we could have turned out a lot more fucked up than we are," she said, smiling. "But even so, when the instructor talked about the problems that victims have with…" she took a deep breath, "…trust, intimacy, anger management…it was easy to see why things happened the way they did with us."_

 _"Yeah, it sounds like it," he murmured._

 _"So, I was thinking—I'm going to be home in a few weeks, and maybe before school starts again we can get together and talk more about—"_

 _He cut her off. "Listen, I, um, need to talk to you about that. I won't be going back to Hearst in September."_

 _"You're dropping out? Logan…"_

 _"No, I'm transferring to UCLA," Logan said. "I'm moving to Los Angeles to see if Trina and I can actually work things out."_

 _Veronica's heart dropped into her stomach. "Y-y-you're leaving," she stammered. "Are you sure this isn't just your sister's latest hobby? I don't want you to get hurt again."_

 _"No, I really think she means it this time," Logan said. "I was wondering what motivated this new campaign to be a 'real family,' and she finally told me: Before her mom died last year, she told Trina some stuff about Aaron that lent a little credence to my side of the story. She'd been trying to protect Trina, but after what he did to Lilly, she thought she should know."_

 _"So she believes you now?"_

 _"Yeah, how about that?" he said. "Plus, she started going to therapy and realized that even though he never beat her, he was still abusive to her. He chipped away at her self-esteem every day, telling her she wasn't pretty enough, not thin enough, not talented enough…"_

 _"Well," Veronica began._

 _Logan chuckled. "OK, she wasn't a very good actress, but you shouldn't have to hear that from your dad. Child abuse isn't just physical, you know."_

 _"You sound like a therapist yourself," Veronica teased gently. "I thought you hated that crap."_

 _"I do—I did," he said. "But a few weeks ago, Trina asked me to come to a session with her, so I drove up for a couple of days. We talked to the shrink, we hung out, and…it was good, you know? I was glad I went. We've been talking a lot since then too, so I decided to move there so we can see each other more often—she's the only family I've got left. And there's nothing really keeping me in Neptune anymore."_

 _"WHAT ABOUT ME? We're supposed to come back to each other! Don't you remember?" her brain screamed. But after she swallowed hard, her mouth said, "Oh. OK. When do you leave?" She felt her voice catch, but she didn't want him to hear her cry. If he didn't want to stay in Neptune, she didn't want to make him feel guilty for going._

 _"Next week," Logan said. "I still don't have much stuff, so I'm just going to cram it all in the Range Rover and take off."_

 _"But you'll call me when you get there? And we can visit each other?"_

 _"Of course," he said._

 _And they did call each other, for the first few months. But as time passed, the calls got less frequent until they eventually stopped, and they never visited each other. One winter, she realized she hadn't heard from him since the previous Christmas._

 _Veronica still thought of Logan often though, especially when one relationship after another failed. She'd dated guys who were attractive, smart, funny—great guys, on paper—but none of them made her feel that flutter in her chest that she always felt when she was with Logan. When conducting the post-mortem on her most recent relationship, she'd concluded that the flutter had just been teenage hormones._

 _"And adrenaline from being thrown into life-or-death situations on a regular basis," Mac had added._

 _"That too," Veronica agreed. "Here's to keeping the life-threatening danger to a minimum." The friends clinked their margarita glasses._

The lack of life-threatening danger was definitely a major benefit of her job. She still got to catch the bad guys without ever worrying about getting a gun held on her. The big downside, though, was all the time she spent waiting around for other people. Veronica sighed loudly as she looked at her watch.

"You haven't seen me in almost 10 years but you can't wait another 10 minutes? Sheesh."

Veronica looked up quickly to see Logan leaning against the door frame, hands in his pockets. She was dismayed when she felt that familiar flutter in her chest.

"Have you ever been on time for anything in your life?" Veronica tried to act irritated, but she couldn't keep from smiling.

Logan held up his bare wrist with a grin. "Nope."

"All that money and you still can't buy a watch." Veronica pursed her lips with false pity.

"Ah, but now the money is going to a good cause, so I have an excuse." He stood up straight and walked into the room. "Would the assistant district attorney have any objections to a hug from the witness?"

She giggled at the bad wordplay. "I'll allow it." She stepped toward him stiffly, but as his arms wrapped around her, she relaxed into his embrace. With her head on Logan's chest, Veronica could feel his warmth against her cheek and the flutter in her chest grew stronger.

"OK!" she said brightly, pulling away from him suddenly. "We need to talk about the case."

"Uh, yeah, I guess so," Logan replied, pulling out a chair for himself. "I was pretty surprised when they told me the name of the attorney taking over the case. I figured you were with the FBI."

"I was planning on going to the FBI, but then I took some criminal law courses at Hearst and really got into it," Veronica explained. "You know, punish the guilty without the risk of great bodily harm. So I went to Stanford Law, and here I am."

"Stanford? Wow—that's really great, Veronica," Logan said sincerely. "I'm glad you got your shot."

"Yeah, me too, although the loans are probably going to kill me," she said wryly. "Public service is _not_ the way to riches."

"Neither is a nonprofit," he said with a sarcastic smile. "I don't know where I went wrong."

She shook her head. "I think it's great. And I think your mom would be really proud of you."

"Well, she's a big reason behind all of this."

"I know," Veronica said quietly, thinking of the sweet, broken woman who had always been kind to her family, even when the rest of Neptune had turned against them. "If she's the Lynn in the Marian-Lynn Foundation's name, who's Marian?"

"I thought you knew," Logan replied. "Marian was Trina's mom. She had to put up with that bastard too, so she earned a place in the title."

"I'm sure she did."

"And we didn't want the name Echolls attached. Trina and I decided to stay behind the scenes when we can—the 'children of the murdering movie star' label gets a little old."

"I can imagine," Veronica said.

After a brief but awkward silence, Veronica said, "Now we'd really better talk about the case—I have another meeting this afternoon."

They spent the next hour reviewing the questions Veronica would ask him on the stand and discussing those questions that the defense was likely to ask. "And make sure you don't lose your temper on the stand, no matter what they say," she added.

Logan looked peeved. "I'm not 17 anymore, Veronica. I haven't broken a taillight in a long time."

"Sorry, just thought I should mention it," she said sheepishly. "So, that's it unless you have any questions."

"Yeah, I do," he said, pushing his chair away from the table. "Are you free later? Maybe we can grab some dinner and catch up."

"I wish we could," she said, meaning it more than he knew. "But since you're a witness in my case, we can't socialize."

"Oh, right. I forgot about that. It's just been _ages_ since I've testified in a criminal case!" he said, clasping his hands dramatically. "I _do_ hope I haven't lost my touch."

"Also, I should warn you—my boss says that there's going to be some media attention on this case, since the guy's sort of bigwig in the real estate world," Veronica added. "I'm not sure what that's going to mean for either of us, but just in case…"

"I'll be OK." He rubbed the back of his neck uneasily. "I can handle it. But I'll mention it to Andrew's counselor at the home so she can help him deal if it comes to that."

They stood and walked toward the conference room door. "It was really great to see you again." She gave him a brief hug, without getting too close this time.

"Yeah, you too," he said. "See you in court." As he walked down the hall, he spun around and gave her a little wave, before spinning to face forward again and heading toward the lobby.

"Hoo!" Veronica let all the air out of her lungs and put a hand to her forehead. At that moment, Donna passed by the doorway, stopped to raise her eyebrows suggestively, and continued on.

* * *

When the day of the trial arrived, Veronica knew that her butterflies weren't just about the case.

 _"Maybe it's just nostalgia," Mac had offered when Veronica bemoaned her distinctly physical reaction to seeing Logan again. "Great sex was the one thing that always worked for you two, and you have had quite the dry spell lately."_

 _"I hope you're right," Veronica had said, sighing into the phone. "How pathetic would it be to lust after my high school-slash-college boyfriend?"_

 _"Hey, watch it—I still lust after my college boyfriend," Mac said._

 _Veronica giggled. "Sorry, don't tell Max I said that."_

The first day of the trial consisted mostly of testimony from Andrew and his mother, but Logan still came to provide the boy with moral support. He sat in the seats directly behind Veronica, and although they never spoke, she was unnerved to know he was watching her.

There were reporters outside the courthouse, but not too many, and they were mainly interested in Andrew's father's lawyer—Veronica just gave them a few quick soundbites, and Logan was able to take Andrew and his mother out the back way without being disturbed.

On the second day, Logan and other employees of the San Diego Marian-Lynn home were scheduled to testify. Veronica spent an inordinate amount of time rehearsing her questions for Logan, to make sure she'd be composed and professional.

When he took the stand, she pretended he was a stranger. She asked him to recount the events of the evening, from Andrew's phone call to his arrival at the home, through their visit to the hospital and beyond. He was a perfect witness as he described the boy's injuries, sounding sympathetic and kind without being overly emotional. When the defense questioned him, he stayed perfectly calm as Andrew's father's lawyer tried to poke holes in Logan's story, and even when he brought up Logan's own history of child abuse. She felt a surge of pride as the defense counsel appeared to be returning to his seat.

He turned back to Logan. "Oh, Mr. Echolls, isn't it true that you and the assistant district attorney here have a personal relationship?"

Veronica froze, but Logan was unfazed. "We used to be friends, a long time ago," he replied coolly.

"Friends? I was under the impression that you had a romantic relationship," the attorney smarmed.

"Well, yeah, but it was just high school," Logan shrugged. "I dated a lot of girls in high school."

"I'm sure," said the attorney. He tried to push the issue, but Logan steadfastly maintained that their romantic relationship was part of the distant past. The attorney finally let him off the stand. "Nothing further."

When court adjourned for the evening, Veronica made a point of not looking at Logan as she gathered her things. She escorted Andrew and his mother out a side door of the courtroom and brought them to a conference room to discuss the day's events.

"Was it weird putting your old boyfriend on the stand?" Andrew asked as they walked side-by-side down the hall.

"No, not at all," Veronica lied. "It was just high school."


	2. Chapter 2

The following morning, Veronica stopped in her office before heading to court. Donna was already there, and she handed her the business section of the _Union-Tribune_.

"There's an article about your case," she said, pointing to the lower right corner of the front page.

"Below the fold in section 3? I need to fire my publicist," Veronica said. "What's it say?"

"Nothing you don't already know," Donna said. "Some facts about the case, a few astonishingly astute quotes from you, a few slimy quotes from the defense, a brief mention of your ex, that's about it."

Hearing that Logan was mentioned, Veronica quickly scanned the short piece. He wasn't on the first page, so she moved to the continuation of the article on page 7. "…Logan Echolls, co-founder of the Marian-Lynn Foundation to Prevent Domestic Violence, testified that he was at the home the night that…" Veronica blinked back a tear.

"Are you OK?" Donna asked. "What's this about?"

Veronica pointed to the line in the story.

"Hey, they didn't even mention his father!" Donna noted. "Nice that he finally gets to be his own person after all these years." Veronica just nodded and sniffled.

At the end of the trial's third day, the case went to the jury to decide. As Veronica left the courthouse later that evening, she saw a familiar silhouette sitting on the bottom step.

"Why are you still here?"

Logan turned and stood up. "I wanted to talk to you about yesterday."

"What about it?" She walked down the rest of the steps and stood facing him.

"When the lawyer asked me about us, you know that wasn't really how I felt about you, right?"

"Logan, you were under oath!" she scolded.

"I know—I didn't lie," he explained, scratching the back of his head as though he didn't know what to do with his hands. "I said I dated a lot of girls in high school and that we were over a long time ago. That's the truth. He asked the questions, I answered."

"So what's your point?"

Logan stared at her intently for a moment and shoved his hands in his pockets. "He never asked me if I had been in love with you." Veronica chewed on her lower lip. "If he had, I would have had to say that I was. You know you were more to me than just any high school girlfriend, right?"

Veronica folded her arms in front of her and looked at her shoes. "I guess."

Logan ducked down to look at her eyes. "Yeah, you know you do," he said with an impish grin that made her laugh, even though she didn't want to.

"Fine, I do," she said. "Hey, did you see the article in the paper?" she added, changing the subject.

"I did—but the bottom of section three?" He shook his head regretfully. "And I didn't even get mentioned until the next page! Either we've gotten boring or we need new publicists."

Veronica laughed. "I said the same thing to Donna! And did you see how you were identified?"

"I did. About fucking time," Logan said, kicking the step for emphasis. "I've been pretty anonymous for some years now, but it's still nice to see it in print like that. The best part though was the mention of the foundation—fundraising said they got a lot more calls than usual today."

"Well, the guilty verdict will help even more," Veronica said.

"Damn right it will," Logan said. "Hey, after the verdict comes in, we're not witness and prosecution anymore, right? We're just two old friends again?"

"That's right."

"So let's plan on dinner that night, whenever that is," he said. "Hopefully, we can celebrate, but if not, we can commiserate. How does that sound?"

"That sounds good. It's a date—er, I mean, well, you know what I mean."

They exchanged their current phone numbers and went their separate ways.

* * *

Two days later, they were together again, in the courtroom, listening to the jury foreman read the verdict: "Guilty." Veronica smiled with satisfaction as she hugged Andrew and his mother before they joined Logan, who would take them back to the Marian-Lynn home so they could begin setting up their new life. On his way out the door, Logan glanced at her over his shoulder and gave her a little half-smile and a nod.

He called her later that afternoon. "So counselor, it looks like you've earned a celebratory dinner. Are we still on for tonight?"

"Sure!" she said, not wanting to sound too excited. "Where should we go?"

"If you're still obsessed with Italian food, there's a great little place called Vincenzo's over on 12th."

"I love Vincenzo's!" she said, her mouth already watering at the thought of their manicotti. "It's just around the corner from my place."

"OK, then I'll just come by and we'll walk over. What's your address?"

They agreed that he'd pick her up at 8, so Veronica made the reservation for 8:45, knowing he'd probably be late. When she got home from work, she showered, and then spent nearly an hour agonizing over what to wear. She wanted to look good, but not like she was trying too hard; she settled on jeans and a pink sweater that was pretty but not overtly sexy.

Logan arrived at 8:15, just as she suspected he would. When she opened the door, he threw his arms around her and lifted her off her feet.

"Nice work there, Ms. Assistant District Attorney!" he said, putting her down. "That was pretty amazing."

"All in a day's work," Veronica replied modestly.

"No, it was really great, Veronica. And I have to admit, it was kind of hot, seeing you in action like that," Logan added with a smirk.

Veronica blushed. "Come on, let me give you the 10-cent tour." She instinctively reached for his hand, but quickly dropped it as she led him through her home.

Each room of her condo came with a story about a project she hadn't yet completed: Unhung curtain rods rested in a corner of the living room, a new mirror leaned against the bathroom wall, and a pile of new cabinet handles sat on the kitchen counter.

"It doesn't seem like you, to have so much unfinished," Logan commented.

"I bought all of these things in a burst of decorating enthusiasm when I moved in a few months ago," she explained, "but I just haven't had the time to put them in. Really, it's a miracle that I got my clothes unpacked."

She started down the hall to show him the rest of the place when she glanced at her watch. "Oh! I'll have to show you the rest later. We need to leave if we're going to make our reservation." She grabbed him by the shoulders and spun him around, pushing him toward her front door.

Conversation during dinner was light, as they recapped the last nine years of their lives for each other. Veronica told him about law school, and gave him updates on her family and friends; he seemed truly glad when she told him that Keith was happily married to Wallace's mom.

He told her about UCLA and patching things up with Trina, and about their work at the foundation. While Logan divided his time between the foundation's various offices and homes in the San Diego and LA area, Trina worked on fundraising and attracting the media to their charity events. "Turns out that her ability to get attention from the press can be a good thing," he noted. "Who knew?"

They stayed at the restaurant long after they were done eating, catching up, and laughing harder than either of them had laughed in a long time. When it was time to leave, since they both had to work in the morning, Veronica was disappointed. With his arm around her shoulders, Logan walked her back to her building and then inside to the front door of her unit.

"I'm really glad we ran into each other," he said.

"Yeah, me too." Veronica cursed inwardly as her chest fluttered again. She put her key in the lock and opened her door.

"You know, I'm in town a lot for work—we should hang out again. Make sure we don't lose touch again." He moved in for a hug.

It felt so comfortable, yet so exciting, to be holding him again, Veronica didn't want to let go. "It was great to see you again," Logan said quietly, and as his warm breath grazed her ear, she felt the heat travel down her spine until it reached between her legs. She realized that he wasn't letting go of her either.

Veronica stepped back a little, without taking her arms away, and found herself staring into his golden brown eyes. She saw a softness there that she'd never seen before, and it made her want to lean in and…she felt his lips touch lightly to hers and that was all she could take. Moving her hands to the back of neck, she pulled him to her, deepening the kiss and pushing her tongue into his mouth. To her relief, he responded by wrapping his arms around her more tightly.

He broke away from the kiss and grazed his lips down her neck, making her gasp and clutch at his clothing. "You never got around to showing me your bedroom," he said hoarsely. She pulled him through her door and then kicked it closed.

Just like that night at the Neptune Grande nearly a decade earlier, Veronica and Logan rushed toward the bedroom, leaving a trail of clothes as they went. Veronica kicked off her shoes—no laces this time—and by the time they reached her room, she was completely naked. She crawled backward onto her bed and gave him a wicked smile. "You gonna keep those pants on?"

He smiled back and quickly shed the rest of his clothes, and slowly leaned down toward her until their bodies were pressed together, legs to legs, chest to chest, mouth to mouth. They didn't speak as they each began to remember every kiss, lick, and caress that would make the other cry out or sigh with pleasure. It all felt so familiar, but the years of separation made it more thrilling than any sexual experience she'd had since their last time.

Logan moved down her body, stopping to drag his tongue across her hardened nipples, licking and sucking until she thrust her hips against him, desperate for more. It was Logan's turn to smile wickedly as he rested his palm lightly on her mound and stopped moving.

"What are you doing?" she breathed, lifting herself up on her elbows.

"I want to hear you say it," he said.

"What?" she whimpered. "What should I say?"

"You know what I love to hear." He brushed a finger lightly against her folds and she moaned. "Come on, baby, say it."

"Please, Logan," Veronica murmured. "Please touch me."

"I always loved to hear you beg for it," he said with a smirk as he pushed two fingers inside her. She fell backward onto the bed.

"Oh God, yes!" she cried as she moved her hips against his hand. As his fingers glided in and out, he rubbed her clit with his thumb and continued his tongue's assault on her breasts.

Veronica couldn't remember when she'd felt such total pleasure. Her body felt electrified as her muscles began to clench around his fingers, and she cried out his name as she came.

She was still breathing hard as Logan brought his face up to hers and licked her lower lip. "Do you know how glad I am that you're still a screamer?"

"You bring it out in me," Veronica gasped. "But let's see if I can still get you to make some noise."

She put her hands on his shoulders and pushed Logan onto his back. "I always loved the feel of your cock," she whispered as she brushed her fingertips up his length. "Let's see if I can remember what you like."

Kneeling between his thighs so he could see what she was doing, she gave him a slow lick from his balls all the way up to the tip. She swirled her tongue around the tip and then took him in her mouth.

"Jesus, Veronica," Logan rasped.

She moved her lips up and down on his erection, sometimes stopping to lick or suck at the tip. He was beyond being able to speak anymore, and she was glad to see how well she still knew his body.

When she lightly squeezed his balls, he sat up and grabbed her hand.

"What?" she asked. "Don't you like this?"

"I love it," he breathed, pulling her face close to his. "But please tell me you have a condom."

"I do. I think," she said as she rolled over and began digging around in her nightstand. "I do!" She held one up triumphantly.

"Oh, thank God." Logan fell back onto the pillow.

Veronica unwrapped the condom and rolled it onto him, and then straddled him. When she lowered herself onto him, they groaned in unison. "Oooohhh…"

They moved together as if they'd never been apart. He thrust his hips against her, pushing into her core at just that angle that he knew would make her come again. She used her pelvic muscles to squeeze him on every thrust, knowing that drove him crazy. As they had so many times before, they came at the same time. "Fuck, Veronica!" "God, Logan!" they cried as they peaked.

Exhausted, she leaned forward and gave him a lingering kiss, then flopped down onto the bed next to him. It felt strange, Veronica thought, to not know what to say to him. He got up to go clean up in the bathroom, while she lay there and wondered what it all meant.

Logan crawled back into bed, stretching his arm out across her pillow so she could lay her head on his shoulder, and she snuggled into his side. "That was…" she started to say.

"Yeah, it was," he agreed. They lay together silently, listening to each other breathe, until they both fell asleep.

* * *

Veronica woke early the next morning to the sounds of Logan shuffling around her room. She smiled and stretched when she recalled the events of the night before. Then she realized he was completely dressed, and sitting on the bed to put on his shoes.

"Leaving so soon?" She rolled toward him and propped herself up on her elbow.

"Yeah, I've got an early meeting this morning, and I have to go home and shower and change, so…" he trailed off. Veronica noticed that he continued to tie his shoes as he spoke, not looking at her.

"Oh." She tried to contain her disappointment as her mental image of breakfast in bed shattered. She pulled the sheet up over her naked body.

Logan stood up and picked up his coat. "So, I'll call you?" He leaned down and gave her an oddly chaste kiss.

"Sure, OK," she said, hoping she sounded nonchalant about it.

"OK, um, see you later then." He walked out of her room without turning back, and a moment later, she heard her front door close.

She pulled her elbow out from under her head and collapsed onto the mattress, pulling a pillow onto her face. "Aaaaaagh!"

Tossing the pillow aside, Veronica looked at the clock and realized she needed to get up too. She showered, put on jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt—it was a comfortable clothes day—and trudged to the kitchen for coffee. While she sipped, she texted Mac: "Free 2night? I need margaritas."

* * *

At the office, Veronica tried to lose herself in paperwork, but it wasn't interesting enough to hold her attention for long. She kept drifting off, alternately reliving the joy of the previous night or the disappointment of this morning.

"What's on your mind?" Donna asked. "Every time I look at you, you're off someplace else."

"It's nothing, I'm just thinking."

"Is this about your ex?" Donna teased in a singsong voice. "Was there rekindling? It looked like you two had a nice talk when he was here."

"Oh stop." Veronica evaded the question. "I've just got a lot on my mind." She often confided in Donna, but she didn't want to this time. Not yet, anyway. Donna knew most of the Logan backstory, but she didn't know Logan. Plus, Donna might tsk-tsk about the fact that she had slept with him so quickly, and she didn't need that. She needed Mac.

* * *

"You _slept_ with him?" Mac laughed in disbelief as Veronica put her forehead down on the bar after recounting the previous day and night.

"Mm-hm," she said piteously. "Stop mocking me."

"I am so not mocking," Mac said. "I just did not expect…OK, I really should have seen that coming. You could never keep your panties on around him."

"Shut up," came Veronica's muffled voice.

"So," Mac lowered her voice. "How was it?"

Veronica sat up straight. "It was soooo good! It was the best sex I've had since…since the last time I had sex with Logan. Mind-blowing."

"Wow."

"And afterward it was just so…nice. It just seemed so comfortable and normal to be together like that. It was like we'd never been apart." Veronica looked off wistfully. "But then he totally bailed on me this morning. What the fuck was that? He couldn't at least stick around for coffee?"

"Maybe he really did have an early meeting," Mac suggested.

"Sure, but he was acting so weird," Veronica said, "like he couldn't get out of there fast enough. Like he thought he'd made a big mistake sleeping with me."

"OK, who made the first move last night?" Mac asked, trying to take an analytical approach.

"He did…I think," Veronica said, trying to remember the order of events. She took a sip of her strawberry margarita, licking some of the sugar from the rim. "Wait, I think he kissed me, and then I…OK, he hugged me, then there was a little kiss, and then…I sort of attacked him."

"Excellent," Mac clinked Veronica's margarita glass with her own.

"Shut _up_. And wait! I just remembered—I may have attacked him, but he's the one who asked to go to my bedroom after spending the whole evening referring to us as 'old friends,'" Veronica added, holding up a finger to make her point.

"Well, he _is_ a guy…" Mac began.

"What are you getting at?"

"I'm just saying, it's possible that he does want to be just friends, but when a guy's hot ex throws herself at him, there aren't many of them that would be able to say no," Mac explained, trying to be gentle.

Veronica slapped a hand to her forehead. "Oh my God—was that a pity fuck? Am I that much of a loser?" she wailed.

"No, no, no, not a pity fuck. I don't think he'd do that to you," Mac said. "I was thinking more like a…a fuck between friends."

"Oh, that's so much better, thanks," Veronica said.

"It is! Listen to what I'm saying," Mac explained. "You guys have a lot of history, and after such a long time apart, old feelings or nostalgia or whatever can take over. But if he really does want to be just friends, he probably felt awkward about the whole thing this morning. I don't know what he was really thinking, but it does sound like he was glad to see you again, but bailing the next morning doesn't exactly say 'take me back, lover.'"

"No, it doesn't," Veronica sighed. "I probably shouldn't have let my mind jump ahead to breakfast in bed and a quickie before work."

"Breakfast in bed? Did you think that last night meant you guys were back together? Oh my God—do you want to get back together with him?" Mac's eyes got wide.

Veronica put her face in her hands and screamed softly into them, then looked up again. "I don't know! I knew it would be kind of weird to see him again, but I wasn't expecting, you know…"

"The mythical flutter?"

"Yeah!" Veronica sighed. "I don't think it's just nostalgia, either. He's still the same, but…different. He's got his life together—he's got a great job, he's happier, he's…"

"He's Logan 2.0!" Mac exclaimed. "He's a new and improved version! All the bugs have been worked out!"

"That's exactly it," Veronica said. "I don't know, Mac. I hope it's not just the dry spell talking, but I might have it bad for Logan 2.0."

"He said he wanted to get together again, so just hang out—see where things go," Mac said. "And who knows? Maybe you'll find out that the flutter was just nostalgia and you want to be friends too."

Veronica sighed and nodded. "You're right. I'm overthinking it. I need to just relax and see what happens. I'm not good at that though."

"No, you're really not," Mac agreed. "But let's continue this conversation at a table, because the free chips and salsa do not constitute a meal."

* * *

The next morning, as Veronica was leaving for work, her phone rang. She checked the caller ID: "Logan." Taking a deep breath, she tried to sound as normal as possible.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey," he replied. "I, uh, just wanted to apologize for running out so early yesterday. I had to meet with a big donor and I had to stop at home first and…"

"Don't worry about it—no big deal," Veronica interjected.

"I just don't want things to be awkward now, because of, you know, the other night," he said haltingly. "It was really fun to hang out with you again, and I'd like it if we could be friends again."

"Y-yeah, sure!" she said, too brightly. "I'd like that too."

Logan let out a breath with a loud _whoosh_. She pictured him sticking his lower lip out adorably, as he often did when he sighed, and she felt the goddamned flutter again. "Oh good," he said. "I was worried that we'd messed things up—again. I was hoping that wasn't a mistake."

"No, not a mistake," Veronica said as she locked her door and started down her hall. "Just a…a fuck between friends?" She waved sunnily to the old lady who had peeked out just then to pick up her newspaper.

He laughed uneasily. "That works for me. So, um, anyway, I have to head out of town tomorrow and I'll be gone for a few days, but can we get lunch today?"

"I have a lunch meeting today."

"Oh, OK," he replied.

She thought—hoped—he might have sounded disappointed, so she quickly added, "How about dinner later?"

"Yeah, let's do that," Logan said happily…she thought. "Call me after lunch."

Over the next two months, Logan came into town about once a week, and stayed most weekends. During that time, they went on plenty of non-date, "just friends" outings: Dinner, the movies, trips to the mall to help him pick out new clothes—and Veronica felt the flutter every time. If he put a hand on her shoulder or took her hand to move through a crowd, she'd close her eyes and concentrate on the feel of his touch.

In between visits, they called each other frequently. Sometimes they just talked about the day, but occasionally those talks turned into long, late-night conversations.

Mac always knew when Veronica had gone out with or talked to Logan, because early the next morning, she'd get a call from Veronica to dissect the event. Everything Logan said or did was picked apart to determine its secret meaning.

One morning, Veronica finally announced a realization, one that had been clear to Mac for weeks. "I am definitely way past 'just friends,' Mac. I'm even past wanting to rip his clothes off every time I see him—I'm already imagining us sitting on a porch swing watching our grandchildren play in the yard."

"First of all, no shit," Mac said, growing a little frustrated. "Second of all, if he hasn't made another move by now, I have to tell you honestly: You're in the friend zone, and I think you know it. Why do you keep torturing yourself?"

Veronica sighed into the phone. "Because Friend Logan is better than no Logan. I'll take what I can get, as pathetic as that is."

"Oh, Veronica—I'm worried that this isn't going to end well for you."

"So am I."

Logan would occasionally pick Veronica up at her office to go to lunch or dinner, prompting a lot of knowing looks from Donna.

"Going out again?" she asked once, as Logan left to go get his car.

"I keep telling you, we're old friends," Veronica had protested. "Just getting to know each other again."

"You don't re-do your makeup when you're going out with your other friends," Donna said with a sidelong glance.

One night, Mac and Max invited Veronica and Logan over for dinner. During the evening, Veronica and Mac intentionally left the guys alone on more than one occasion, going to the kitchen to get the dessert, to the living room to look for a DVD Veronica wanted to borrow, and then later to Mac's closet to review a new outfit.

After Logan left, the women cornered Max as he loaded the dishwasher.

"What did he say?" Veronica asked. "Did he say anything about me?"

"Are we in junior high again and no one told me?" Max snarked.

"Come on, you know the whole story—you had to know that we left you alone with him so you could get information," Mac said. "What did you guys talk about?"

"Mostly about work. And the wedding."

"That's it?" Veronica whined.

"Sorry, I didn't realize I was on a secret mission. He asked about our wedding plans, and I told him," Max said. "If you want specific topics to be discussed, you need to tell me ahead of time."

Mac sighed exasperatedly and shook her head. "Boys."

"You're right when you guys call him Logan 2.0 though," Max said. "He's really gotten his shit together, huh?"

"This is what I'm saying!" Veronica cried. "This is why I'm falling for him again and needed you to find out what he thinks about me!"

"Why is this my responsibility? Why don't you talk to him about you yourself?" Max said, pointing at Veronica with a serving spoon.

"Because if he wants to be just friends, she still wants to hang out with him," Mac answered for her friend, who had put her forehead down dramatically on the kitchen counter. "And she doesn't want to risk ruining that by bringing up the whole romantic thing if that's not what he wants. Duh."

"Ah, well, clearly I am an idiot. I apologize with every fiber of my being," Max hung his head in faux-shame. "Now get out of my way and go do something girly so I can finish the dishes."

Mac giggled and leaned over the sink to give her fiance a lingering kiss. He snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her closer.

"Aaagh!" Veronica yelped with her hands over her face as she flounced out of the room.


	3. Chapter 3

Later that week, Veronica went to Logan's place to pick him up for dinner. When she rang the bell outside, she was surprised to hear Trina's voice on the intercom. "Veronica! Come on up!"

Trina greeted her when she arrived at the door to Logan's condo. Veronica knew that she didn't have her own home in San Diego, so she stayed with Logan occasionally, but she hadn't seen Trina at all since high school.

"Hi! How are you?" Trina reached forward and pulled Veronica into a hug. "Princess is still futzing with his hair, so it might be a while."

"Hey!" came Logan's voice from the bathroom down the hall.

"He says that a conference call ran long, but he takes longer to get ready to go out than I do," Trina whispered conspiratorially.

"It's good to see you, Trina," Veronica said sincerely. "You really look great. Happy."

"Staying out of the tabloids does wonders for the complexion." Trina grinned goofily and framed her face with her hands. "But thanks—I feel great. The last few years have been pretty good to me."

"It shows," Veronica said. "So, I didn't know you were in town."

"I wasn't planning on it, but I just needed to get out of LA for a couple of days," Trina explained. "I just sort of showed up on my brother's doorstep—I hope I'm not going to be in your way…"

"No! Not at all," Veronica said.

"Are you sure?"

"Really, we're going out—to that new Greek restaurant downtown. Do you want to come with us?"

"Thanks, but I, uh, need to stay in and get some work done while I have the home office to myself," Trina said.

Just then, Logan appeared next to them. "Should we get going?"

"Well, don't you look pretty!" Trina exclaimed. She reached up and tried to tousle his hair, but his longer reach allowed him to hold her off.

"Nice try, Trin."

"You mess up that hair and we're going to miss our reservation!" Veronica told her sternly.

"Good point," Trina laughed, giving Logan a playful shove when he let go of her wrists. "Have fun, you guys."

* * *

Veronica and Logan both loved their work, and as usual, had spent most of dinner talking about their respective jobs. She felt like she knew Logan's job as well as her own, and he was familiar with all of her current cases. On the drive home, Veronica excitedly described a break in her case against a high-school drug dealer. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Logan watching her intently.

"What?" she asked, without taking her eyes off the road.

"I'm really proud of you."

She giggled self-consciously. "Why? Because I like taking down the evil-doers? You know that's always been a hobby of mine."

"Not just that." He fidgeted with the hem of his jacket. "You found a way to channel your pit-bull-like tenacity in a positive direction. You seem…OK, I'm going to try and word this carefully in case I'm wrong…but you seem less…pissed off."

She raised an eyebrow and gave him a smirk. "Bold move, Echolls, poking the pit bull like that."

"I like to live on the edge," he said with a wry smile.

"You're right though. Remember when I told you about that course I took at the FBI during my summer internship?"

"The one about crime victims?"

"Yeah," she said. "It got me thinking, so I did more reading about it and learned a lot about why I couldn't trust anyone, why I was so controlling—I even had my very own therapist for a while there."

"You?"

"I know!" Veronica was still a little surprised herself. "I always thought I didn't need to talk to anyone about my stuff, but apparently I did. And it does feel better to not be so angry all the time."

"Right? I only wish someone had told me sooner," Logan chuckled.

"Yeah, I'm new and improved," she said, when a realization came to her. "I'm Veronica 2.0."

"A computer joke?" he asked. "Did Mac tell you that?"

"Sort of…" she said thoughtfully, without elaborating.

"So—what is this exciting new piece of evidence in your drug-dealer case? Did someone find a bong in his locker?" Logan teased.

"More like the makings of a small meth lab," she replied. "Bongs are so 2004."

Logan laughed. "Now that we're no longer under Van Clemmons' thumb, are you finally going to tell me how you did that?"

"Please, that was hardly one of my more complex setups," Veronica said. "I had a master key to all the lockers. Plant the bong, make an anonymous phone call, and bam! One Logan Echolls is being dragged out of school by Neptune's finest."

"And here I thought you were a trained safecracker," Logan said. "I pictured you holding a stethoscope up to the lock until you figured out the combination."

"You watch too many old movies."

"Actually, that one might be from a Bugs Bunny cartoon."

"OK, now I get to ask one," Veronica said.

"Can I take the dare instead?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Not a chance," she said. "How the hell did you and Weevil spike that teacher's car onto the flagpole?"

"Who said we did that?" Logan asked innocently. She raised a suspicious eyebrow. "OK, we did, but all the credit goes to Weevil. I was just the accomplice."

Veronica pretended to clutch her pearls. "You couldn't operate a metal saw and a welding torch on your own?"

"Hey, someone had to pay for the illegal tow truck to get the car on the pedestal," he said.

"That answers that part of the question, but how did you wrap it around the pole?"

Logan raised his index finger. "Ah, that's where the real genius came in. We didn't take apart the car—we cut down the flagpole."

Veronica laughed in amazement. "Seriously?"

"Seriously! Then Weevil cut holes in the roof and floor of the car, and the truck moved it onto the pedestal and helped us lift the pole to put it through the car. Weevil welded the pole back down, and _voila!_ Car kabob."

"Jesus!" Veronica guffawed as she pulled up in front of Logan's building and turned off the ignition. "I always wanted to know how you guys did that, but Weevil wouldn't say after he almost got expelled."

"Is it my turn to ask something I've always wanted to know?"

"Shoot," she said, gleefully wondering which of her capers he would ask about next.

He paused for a moment, looking ahead out the windshield. After taking a deep breath, he asked, "Why was Duncan your first instead of me?"

Veronica looked at Logan's face and saw that he was dead serious.

"Why does that matter now?"

Logan shrugged. "Because that question ate at me for a long time. It's not like it's keeping me awake at night—anymore—but I still want to know." He turned in his seat to face her. "That summer when we were together, I tried so hard to be understanding, to wait until you were ready. I was so in love with you and I wanted so badly to be your first."

"Oh, Logan…"

He smiled sheepishly and started tugging at his sleeves. "You know, I had this whole image in my head about how I would make it so special and perfect for you…but then we broke up, and you got back together with Duncan, and you slept with him after just a few weeks. I have to say—that really hurt. It made me wonder if maybe you meant more to me than I did to you."

"No!" she almost yelled. Then she said, more softly, "No, that wasn't it. Oh my God, I'm sorry you thought that." She put her hand over his.

"Then what was it?"

This was an easy one to answer—she'd thought about it a lot over the years. "Things between us were really intense, you know? We were like a speeding car, going so far, so fast. And then with everything that was going on that summer, it was a lot to handle, and I was afraid that adding sex into that was going to be just too much. I was waiting for things to become more…normal."

"And they never did," Logan muttered, slouching back in his seat.

"No, they didn't. I think that's why I got back together with Duncan—I was looking for things to go back to the way they were before. Before Lilly…before…everything, you know? It just felt safe and normal to be with him, and that's what I needed after everything we'd all been through. But it was never going to be the same, and I think he knew it too."

"I guess that makes sense…" he said begrudgingly.

She smiled shyly—she had a little secret that she knew would make him feel better. "Besides, you were still my first in another way."

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "I didn't know there was another way."

"Well…remember that time in the back of your car…"

"You'll need to be more specific," he said, with a begrudging half-smile.

"…when we tried to go to the movie but went to the beach instead? And I was wearing that green skirt you liked, and you…" She was glad it was dark in the car and he couldn't see her blush.

Logan turned his head slowly toward her. "Really!" he said, widening his eyes and raising his eyebrows with a sly grin. "That was your first?"

"My first _with_ someone…"

"Veronica Mars! You naughty girl. Why didn't you say anything?"

 _They'd planned on seeing a movie, but it was sold out, so they decided to go for a walk on the beach. They parked in a secluded spot, since the beach was supposed to be closed. But before they could get out of the car, a quick kiss across the front seat evolved into heavy making out, both of them pulling at each other's clothes, sliding their hands up inside each other's shirts. She gasped when he slipped his fingers underneath her bra, rolling them over her hard nipples._

 _She didn't even know how or when they ended up in the back seat, with her sitting in his lap. When she felt his fingers on the inside of her bare thigh as she had so many times before, she didn't want to push them away as she usually did—she couldn't. She wasn't even sure how she'd managed to stop him before, but this time, the throbbing between her legs was unbearable and she needed to feel his hands on her._

 _He paused as though he expected her to bring his hand to a halt, but when she didn't, he tipped her back onto the car seat, with his arm under her head. She opened her eyes and saw him looking down at her so tenderly, and she wondered if she might be in love with him. It didn't feel like it did with Duncan. This was different, almost overwhelming. She put a hand on his cheek and smiled nervously._

 _"Relax, babe," he said, leaning down to nibble the side of her neck. "If you want me to stop, anytime, you just say so."_

 _She nodded and closed her eyes as he continued caressing her inner thighs. His hand moved slowly up her skirt until he reached the edge of her panties. He touched her through the moist fabric. "Is this OK?"_

 _"Oh yeah," she panted. "Please don't stop."_

 _He tugged lightly at her underwear, and she lifted her hips so he could remove them. Her skirt—the one she wore because she knew he liked it—was pushed up around her waist, and he lightly dragged his fingers through her damp curls. She parted her knees to give him better access. "Oh, that feels so good," she whispered._

 _"All I want is to make you feel good," he breathed into her ear. "I love you, Veronica."_

 _He stroked her softly for a few minutes, until she was breathing faster and moving her hips in rhythm with his hand. With one finger, he began to trace small, slow circles around her clit. She inhaled sharply._

 _"Veronica?"_

 _"More…"_

 _It was so much better than anything she'd ever done to herself—she knew she needed him to keep touching her like that. And he did, gradually moving his fingers a little bit harder and a little bit faster, as she involuntarily thrust her hips against his hand, desperately seeking her release. She tossed her head from side to side and bit her lip to keep from screaming._

 _"Just let go, babe," he murmured. "I've got you."_

 _The exquisite feeling was building…and building…she didn't know if she could take it anymore until… "Oh God!" She threw her head back as her whole body shuddered in ecstasy. Everything went white and all she could feel was his hands on her body, his breath on her neck. He kept touching her through every last tremor, then he'd held her close as she came down, gasping for air and holding him tightly to her. She laid in his arms, with her head on his shoulder, until it was time to go home._

Veronica blinked hard to force herself to stop thinking about that night. "You were…a lot more experienced than I was," she explained with an uneasy laugh. "I guess I just didn't want to seem like a prude."

"None of that would have mattered at all," Logan said. "I just…"

They sat awkwardly for a moment, until Logan broke the silence. "So now that you've had more to compare it to, how did it rate?"

"What?!"

"Come on, I want to know!" he said, teasing. "If I gave you your first non-solo orgasm, I have the right to know how it measured up."

"Oh my God, I cannot believe I'm having this conversation with you!" Talking about orgasms with Logan was making her wet, and she shifted uncomfortably in her seat, squeezing her thighs together.

"Veronica…" he wheedled.

She realized that he was not going to drop this until she told him. "To the other ones from you, or in general?"

"In general."

Trying to maintain his joking tone, she said. "You've always been my best."

He smiled bashfully. "You're not just saying that to save my inner 17-year-old's pride, are you?"

"Since when has your pride ever been an issue?" Veronica asked. She paused for a moment, then continued sincerely, "I've always been glad that the first time was with you. You did make it perfect and special."

This time, Logan blushed.

"And now I'm completely embarrassed," she added.

"Don't be," he murmured. "You've always been my best too."

Veronica thought she saw him lean toward her, just a little bit. Or had she leaned toward him? Their faces drew closer to each other and she closed her eyes. Logan gave her a soft, lingering kiss on the cheek. Feeling him so close made her breath catch—she wanted to turn her head to claim his lips with hers, to drag him into the back seat and feel his hands sliding up her thighs again…

"I'd better go," he said quietly as he pulled away. "It's getting late."

She cleared her throat. "Yeah."

"I'll call you," he said cheerily as he got out of the car.

"OK, later." After she watched him stride quickly up his front walk and into the building, she banged her head on the steering wheel and sighed.

* * *

Two days later, Logan called Veronica from Los Angeles. "Hey, I forgot to ask you when we went out the other night—do you have any plans for the Friday after your birthday?"

"No, why?" she asked.

"Unfortunately, I have to be in Torrance on your actual birthday next week, but I'll be back in San Diego on Friday. Can I take you out for a late birthday dinner?"

"I'll pencil you in," Veronica said, trying to sound cheerful.

"Great! I'll call you later."

She hung up and dropped her head into her hands with a loud, dramatic sigh.

"Are you finally going to tell me what the hell is going on with him?" Donna appeared in the doorway. "And don't give me that 'we're just friends' garbage anymore." She sat in the chair opposite Veronica's desk and leaned toward her. "Come on, talk to me."

Veronica pressed her palms to her forehead. "Oh, we're trying to be friends, but I don't know if it's enough for me anymore."

She told Donna everything: About the one night they'd spent together, the flutter she felt in her chest every time they went on one of their platonic "dates," how Logan just wanted to be friends, and how it was growing more and more painful for Veronica to spend time with him knowing that they weren't more.

"For starters, you need to find out how he feels," Donna said matter-of-factly. "You need to just ask. The wait-and-see approach is obviously not working for you."

"But what if I scare him off? What if my big declaration freaks him out and he doesn't even want to be friends anymore?"

"Honey, being just friends with him is hurting you," Donna said gently, "so if that's all he wants from the relationship, well, you might need to end it."

Veronica's eyes filled with tears. "You may be right," she sniffled. "I don't want to lose him again, but I can't keep doing this. It's too hard."

"Just talk to him first," Donna said, standing and walking around the desk. "And whatever happens, I'm going to be here for you." She leaned over and gave Veronica a hug from behind.

* * *

On the day of her birthday, Veronica met Mac at a restaurant bar. Max planned to join them for dinner when he got out of work, so before he arrived, Veronica told Mac about her conversation with Donna.

"I hate to say it, but Donna has a point," Mac said. "I like having Logan around again too—not as much as you, of course—but if it's that painful for you, you might need to cut him off."

"I know," Veronica sighed. "I just don't want to think about that possibility."

"Oh for fuck's sake, are we analyzing the Logan situation _again_?" Max said as he walked up behind them. "My _God_ , we need to have another topic."

"We were trying to finish up that portion of the evening before you showed up," Mac explained, giving him a smooch. "I really did try to spare you, sweetie."

"Fine. Why are we talking about cutting him off?" Max asked, resigned. "From what?" He gestured to the bartender to bring him a beer.

"From me," Veronica said. "Donna thinks I need to stop hanging out with him if he only wants to be friends, since obviously I'm not handling that well."

Max got his drink and dropped his money onto the bar. "Why are you so sure that he wants to be just friends? I mean, it's not like you've ever, you know, _asked_ him."

"Are you always in such a bitchy mood after work?" Veronica asked.

"Today I am—I've been listening to you two talk about this endlessly for fucking _months_ , and as far as I know, you've never talked to him about the subject," Max said exasperatedly. "Not talking about this shit didn't help you much in the past, so I don't know why you're trying it again, quite frankly."

"Max…" Mac took a warning tone.

"No, let him keep going," Veronica said thoughtfully. "I think Bitchy Max may be right. Donna said almost the same thing, with less cursing."

"Look—you've got nothing to lose anymore," Max continued, more kindly. "You might as well get it out in the open and see what happens. Not that I want you to dump him, because it was nice to _finally_ have another guy around to balance you two out, but you can't keep flailing around like this. It's not you—you need to do something. Either way, at least you'll know where you stand and be able to make a decision." He took a long sip of his beer.

Veronica looked sad while Mac watched her sympathetically.

"He's right," Veronica said, taking a deep breath and slapping her hands down on her knees. "I'm seeing Logan on Friday, I'll talk to him then."

"Good. Happy birthday, by the way." Max said warmly, giving Veronica a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks, Maxie," she said as she returned the hug. "And for your sake, we'll stop talking about this and move on to something else."

"Thank you!" he said as he helped gather their jackets so they could go get a table.

"Oo! Let me show you swatches for the bridesmaids' dresses!" Mac yelped as she dug into her messenger bag.

"We really need to find more guys to hang out with," Max sighed.

* * *

Logan said he'd pick Veronica up at 7:30, so she was surprised to hear her doorbell at 7:35.

"You're almost on time!" she said into the intercom.

"I thought I'd do something special for your birthday," his voice crackled back through the speaker. She buzzed him in and waited for him to come to her door.

He arrived with his arms thrown open wide. "Come here, birthday girl."

As she pressed her body to his, she tried not to get choked up but her cheeks still got hot. She pulled away. "Listen, I need to talk to you about something," she began.

"Presents first," Logan replied. He held out a small box, beautifully wrapped, with a silver bow on top. Veronica held her breath, and clasped her hands together to keep them from shaking.

"Come on," he said, wiggling the box in her face enticingly. "Don't pretend to be shy. I know how you feel about presents."

A slow grin crept across her face. "What is it?"

"You don't really think I'm going to tell you, do you? Just open it or I'm taking it back!"

She snatched the box from him. It felt light and delicate in her hands. She carefully tore the wrapping paper with her fingernail and slid the little box out. With another glance at Logan, she lifted the lid to find…

"A gift certificate for a handyman service?" She tried to contain her disappointment.

"So you can finally get all of these projects done around your place," Logan said, gesturing to the curtain rods in the corner. He took his jacket off and sat on the arm of the couch. "You said you didn't have time, so now you can just have professionals do it for you."

Veronica put the box down on a side table. "I'm sorry, I can't do this."

"You don't like it? I thought…"

"No, I can't go out with you tonight," she said, beginning to cry. "I can't see you anymore."

Logan's face fell. "Can't see me anymore? Veronica, what's going on? I thought we were friends again."

"We are, but I can't do it anymore. It's just too hard," she cried.

"I don't understand," Logan said, standing up and starting to pace. "I thought we were having a great time. I don't get it. Why is it hard?"

Veronica sobbed quietly and turned away from him. This was even harder than she expected it to be.

Logan's tone grew more panicked and he put a hand on her shoulder. "Talk to me, Veronica! Please, don't do this. Why can't you see me anymore?"

She spun around to face him. "Because I still love you!" she shouted, her voice raw.

Logan yanked his hand back and stood frozen to his spot, his eyes wide.

"I still love you, but I know that you just want to be friends," Veronica continued loudly, "and I can't do that anymore. I thought that being just friends with you would be better than nothing, because that way at least I'd be able to be with you somehow—but it just hurts too much. So I think I have to stay away from you. I can't be your friend anymore, knowing that it will never be anything more than that."

"Wait—you still love me." He looked at the ceiling as though he were trying to comprehend the words.

"I always have, and the goddamned irony is that I couldn't tell you that when we were together, but now that you just want to be friends, apparently the words can just come _pouring_ out." She made a sweeping gesture with her hands.

Logan ran a trembling hand through his hair. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but no words came.

"I'm sorry to lay all of this on you," Veronica continued, "because you probably don't want to hear it right now, but I had to tell you the truth so you wouldn't think I'd just run off on you again."

"You thought I wouldn't want to hear this?" Logan said hoarsely, barely regaining his voice. "Veronica, I've been in love with you since the first time you kissed me. And for 12 years I've wanted to hear you say that you love me the way I love you— _12 years_. I've never gotten over you, as much as I wanted to. I can't even—" He stepped forward to take her in his arms, but before he could embrace her, Veronica thumped his chest with her fist. "Veronica, what the hell?"

"Then what was all this 'just friends' crap about?" she asked, not succeeding at keeping the annoyance out of her voice. "If you didn't really want to be just friends, then why did you keep saying that? I've been torturing myself for months!"

"Because I thought that's what you wanted! You never gave me any sign that you wanted anything other than friendship, so I was just taking what I could get!" He held his hands out toward her. "I just wanted to be with you."

"Dragging you into my bed the first night we went out wasn't a sign?" Veronica asked incredulously, crossing her arms.

Logan laughed lightly. "Hey, I made the first move!" She rolled her eyes at him. "I did! And my sister had warned me not to push things, not to assume we were still... _us_. But it just felt like us that night, you know? Like we'd always been that way. Then when I thought about it the next morning, I was sure I'd moved too fast and fucked everything up, and I just felt weird and embarrassed about putting myself out there like that."

"I felt weird and embarrassed when you took off!" Veronica groused. "I thought I was such an idiot."

"And I really did have a meeting," he said, his eyes twinkling. "Hold on—why is this my fault? You didn't say anything either!"

"I did—just now!" She threw a hand in the air for emphasis.

"Well, thanks for letting me dangle for six months before bringing it up," he scoffed gently. "I guess neither one of us is as new and improved as we thought."

Veronica crossed her arms and chuckled. "I guess not."

"Why now?"

She waved a hand toward the gift box on the table. "My birthday present—I guess when I saw the little box, I got my hopes up for something romantic."

"That wasn't romantic? I put a lot of thought into that." Logan was clearly a little hurt. "It was something you needed, it showed I was paying attention…"

"I know!" Veronica interrupted. "I didn't mean it like that. This is a great gift, but it doesn't exactly make your feelings clear. So that's when I realized that I just needed to say something."

Logan's hands stilled and he stopped pacing. He looked her in the eyes. "Say it again."

"What? What did I say?"

"Please, Veronica," he said, walking toward her. "I need you to say it again."

A smile crept slowly across her face when she realized what he meant. "I love you, Logan."

He suddenly swooped her up in his arms, spinning her around and kissing her deeply. She cried and laughed at the same time as he brushed his tongue against hers. He put her down and cupped her face. "I love you too," he said between kisses. "Always have."

She took his hands in hers and pulled him over to the couch. They both sat sideways, facing each other, with their knees touching. She kissed him again, reassuring herself that what was happening was real.

"So how long were you going to wait?" Veronica asked. "If I hadn't said anything, what would you have done eventually?"

"I was just hoping this would happen sometime—I just didn't know how long it would take," Logan said. "We're always being drawn back together. And it's for the right reasons this time. We need to make a pact to just say what we're feeling from now on. I want this to be it, Veronica—you and me, no more screwing around."

"You and me," she whispered, holding his face in her hands and kissing him softly.

He leaned back to look at her face, tucking her loose strands of hair behind her ears. "You know, all these years, I've thought a lot about what it would be like to hear you say you love me." He stroked her cheeks with the backs of his fingers. "I imagined all the different ways that might happen, and I have to say, I never thought that when you finally said those three little words for the first time, you'd be screaming them at me."

"Oh yeah?" With a smile, she grabbed the lapels of his shirt and laid back on the couch, pulling him down on top of her. She put her lips close to his ear and breathed, "Make me do it again."


End file.
